The Eclipse War
by Firehawk242
Summary: No matter whose viewpoint you see something from, you'll always miss something. This is a collection of stories that fill in the gaps in my story "The Nature of Magic, Book Two: The War of the Beast". The Classix can't be everywhere, and neither can the Winx. These are the stories of the forgotten heroes.
1. Opening and Index

_Univix was our last, best hope for peace. It failed._

Hello all, and welcome to the Eclipse War Anthology. This is a companion to my trilogy, _The Nature of Magic, _and will fill in the gaps left by the story. Everything that happens in this anthology will be taking place at the same time as _The War of the Beast. _These are the untold stories of heroes who fought to protect their homes.

**The 208th Infantry**

-Corwin's Stand: The story of the first human to fight in the war against Eclipsis.  
-Legacy of Heroes: The continuing role of humans in the war against Eclipsis.

_But in the year of the Eclipse War, it became something greater. Our last best hope for redemption._ -Allanya, Lady of Magic. (To anyone who recognizes this, it's an homage, not a rip-off. I love that show.)


	2. Corwin's Stand

**Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club.**

**Hello and welcome to the first side story for my trilogy ****_The Nature of Magic._**** This story was inspired by the song ****_Hero _****by Heather Dale. Go look it up on YouTube. You'll understand why.**

The buzzing of the alarm clock woke Eric Corwin from sleep. Bleary-eyed, he rolled over and smacked the snooze button.

"Alright Eric, time to get up." He pushed himself up off the bed and onto his feet. Quickly dressing himself, he paused to check his reflection in the mirror. The person looking back wasn't a very big man, maybe five feet eight. He wore a white tank top and a matching pair of pants. He reached for a shirt.

He pulled it on, then checked his reflection again. A patch on his shirt read "Private Corwin, 208th Infantry."

He sighed. He and his battalion had been sent to Magix for training in case Eclipsis turned her sights upon Earth. So far nothing had happened. He and his fellow soldiers had spent the better part of four months here, learning various techniques for combating monsters. Now, in late March, there were constant reports of battles across the Magic Dimension.

He grabbed his gear and exited the barracks, heading for the training field.

* * *

"Attennnnn-SHUN!" Lieutenant Colonel Richard Warden barked out. Eight hundred pairs of boots clicked together as the entire battalion came to attention.

"Listen up, today we are conducting a field exercise." He paced in front of them. "Companies A and D will be the OpForce. Companies B and C, your mission is to protect the locations I've given to your captains. You may work together or separately, but the OpForce will be working as a single unit. Dismissed!"

The soldiers dispersed to grab training gear. Non-lethal stun rifles took the place of the energy rifles they would use against real enemies and their grenades were replaced by flash-bangs designed to stun and incapacitate, but not to wound.

"Figures that he'll give us two objectives to defend instead of one." Private Roger Newall complained. "He hates us."

"Quit your whining Newall," Eric said, "I'm sick of it. The corporal's sick of it. The sergeant's sick of it. You should be glad it hasn't gotten any higher than that."

"Ease off there Private Corwin, I'll take it from here."

"Yes sir, Corporal Stevens sir!"

"As Private Corwin said, I'm sick of your whining, Private Newall. Is that clear?" Corporal Theo "Teddy" Stevens was a nice man, despite his intimidating appearance. Well over six feet tall and built like a refrigerator, he was in charge of Corwin's four-man team. That included Roger Newall.

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good. Now let's move out."

* * *

The two companies quickly deployed to the woods outside of Magix. Normally full of animals, it was completely deserted.

"Where's all the little critters?" Private David Wells asked in his drawling accent. "We usually flush at least a couple o' the things."

"Maybe they're all hiding from Teddy?" Private Benjamin Korson asked, prompting laughter from the other four men, even the maligned corporal. It was an old joke.

"Remember what I said about statements which undermine the chain of command, Private Korson." Corporal Stevens waved a finger at the offending private, mock stern.

"Why I would never intend to undermine the chain of command sir. How could you even think that of me?" Korson said in his most dramatically innocent voice. More laughter ensued.

"Alright men, enough chatter. We keep moving."

* * *

Several hours later, the men were returning from the exercise. Hot, tired, and sweaty, they exited the woods.

"You see? What did I tell you? He hates-" Newall's complaint was cut off by the sight before them. Magix was burning. Monsters battled with fairies, witches, and others on the western side of the city.

"What do we do?" Captain Edward McNell asked.

"We stay out of this." Lieutenant Colonel Warden said. "This isn't our fight. Our task here was to train to protect our homes. This fight belongs to the fairies." He spat on the ground. Warden was well known for his dislike of magical beings.

"Sir, we can't just abandon these people! We have a-"

"Yes we can captain! This is not out battle! Now everyone, report to the barracks!"

* * *

Eric Corwin grabbed his rifle, his combat knife, and his bandoleer of energy grenades. Quietly, he closed his locker. Turning around, he ran into what felt like a solid brick wall.

"And just where do you think you're going, Private Corwin?" Corporal Stevens asked, apparently completely unperturbed by the impact.

"I'm going out there."

"I can't let you do that."

"Try and stop me."

"Why do you want to go out there so badly?"

"Because my sister will be out there."

"You have a sister?"

"Yes sir. She's a student at Alfea."

"Ah. That explains why you never mentioned her."

"Yes sir." Fairies weren't exactly popular among the army. Some regarded them as cheaters, others as unnatural, and some as being outright evil. Not everyone believed this, but Colonel Warden's troops took their cues from him. Having a fairy for a sister would be a mark of absolute shame.

"...Go."

"Sir?"

"I don't agree with the Lieutenant Colonel's opinions, but my hands are tied. I never saw you. You're in your room, feeling ill."

"Thank you sir."

"Go."

Corwin hurried out of the camp. He'd always done well at covert ops, where his small size worked in his favor, rather than against him. No one saw him as he exited the camp.

Hurrying across the eerily empty city, he rushed towards the sounds of the battle.

* * *

Rachel Corwin fought as hard as she could. She'd earned her Charmix last year, but she was no Enchantix fairy. Beside her hovered her friends Raven and Natalia. Raven had earned her Enchantix earlier this year, but Natalia was a sophomore and had yet to earn her Charmix.

"Keep fighting!" Raven yelled as she blasted a tornado of razor sharp feathers at an oncoming monster. "I heard they sent for reinforcements!"

"Good, I'm not sure how much longer we can hold them off!" Natalia said, throwing sheets of snow at the charging monsters.

"Let's just hope they get here soon!" Rachel shouted as she fired jets of lava at the now frozen creatures.

A shadow fell across the three girls.

* * *

Eric rounded the corner and found himself on the battlefield. Where was she, where was she? He turned and caught sight of her. She was on the ground with two other fairies. A huge orange eagle-like creature hovered over them, its beak poised for the kill.

"Get away from her!" Eric shouted, quickly lifting his rifle into firing position. Small packets of energy flew through the air, crashing into the beast.

"SCREEEE!" the creature yelled in pain. Enraged, it turned towards Eric. "SCREEEEE!" Its massive wings flapped ferociously, blasting Eric with wind. He stood firm.

"You want some of this?" Eric pulled a grenade from his bandoleer. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the pin.

"SCREEEE!"

"Here, take it!" He hurled the grenade straight into the thing's open mouth.

The eagle choked, the grenade just too big to swallow, but too far in to spit out. Then it exploded, decapitating the beast. It collapsed to the ground in a heap, dead.

"Are you girls okay?"

"Eric? What are you doing here?"

"Saving you." He turned and opened fire on an advancing pack of Wolf Serpents. The energy packets ripped into them, reducing them to scraps of fur and scale.

"You have to get out of here!" Rachel shouted. "It's not safe for you!"

"It's not safe for you either. Now get out of the way!"

"Rachel, I think we should do as he says." Natalia said.

"We've done our part Rachel." Raven said. "I know you're running out of magic, and Natalia's dead on her feet. We have to get out of here."

"Go. I'll cover your retreat."

"Thank you."

"Just get my sister to safety."

"I will."

"No! Eric, you can't do this!"

Eric ignored her, continuing to fire at the oncoming monsters.

"Rachel, you can't help him. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

"I-"

"Rachel." Raven's voice was stern. "I know this isn't easy, but we have to get out of here."

"No!"

"Okay then, the hard way it is."

Rachel was small, just as Eric was, and Raven picked her up with no real difficulty, slinging the still resisting girl over her shoulder. "Come on Natalia, we have to hurry." Raven and Natalia fled, Rachel struggling and sobbing as her friend carried her to safety.

* * *

"It is with the greatest of sadness that I must report the death of Private Eric Corwin." The President of the United States said. A man and his wife stood next to him while a young fairy stood just to their left.

"Private Corwin was not one whom much was expected of. He was a soldier. No more, no less." The President paused. "But sometimes, we need to be reminded just what it means to be a soldier. Private Corwin did just that.

"Against the orders of his commanding officer, Private Corwin took it upon himself to uphold our treaty with the realm of Magix. He, and he alone chose to defy his commander's unlawful orders to serve, and to protect.

"I am told that Private Corwin fought with a courage seldom seen, battling to his last breath. I am told by those who witnessed it that his actions saved over a dozen men, women, and children from hostile forces. And I am told, that even now, the realm of Magix has acknowledged him as a hero of the highest degree.

"How can we do any less?"

"It is my great honor to bestow upon Private Eric Corwin the Medal of Honor. Like many of these awards, the man receiving it will never hold it, but he has more than earned it.

"And like every other hero before him, he will live forever. In our hearts. In our minds. In the hearts and minds of our friends and allies in Magix. Private Corwin will not be forgotten, and his sacrifice and courage will be remembered. And when the monster behind this war is finally brought to justice, it will be in his name. Thank you."


	3. Legacy of Heroes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club.**

**I hadn't planned on doing anything else with Private Corwin's story, but I realized there was more to tell. Eric Corwin's sacrifice had a severe impact on the way the war was fought, particularly for the people of Earth. Part of this was because the war had finally come to Earth with small skirmishes taking place in the weeks leading up to the first battle at Stonehenge, but a much larger part was due to Corwin proving that humans could be just as capable on the field of battle as specialists, or even fairies. Human soldiers began appearing in battles across the Magic Dimension. **

**This is one such battle.**

"Get down!" Corporal Theo Stevens of the 208th infantry yelled to his squad as a dragon came past, spitting fire in their direction. His men hurried to obey, ducking behind the boulders that dotted this dry hillside. When the fire passed, they popped back out and returned fire.

"Yeah! Come get some!" Private David Wells shouted with glee as his machine gun began to spit a steady stream of energy blasts at their reptilian assailant.

"Is everything a game to you?" Private Roger Newall complained, bringing up his rifle to fire at one of the smaller dragons flanking the one that had just blasted them.

"You know Dave," Private Benjamin Korson said, bringing up his own weapon, "if he's not having fun then the world is doomed. Isn't that right, Kenny?"

"I really wish you wouldn't call me that. It's Kenneth or Ken. Not Kenny." Private Kenneth Gouren grumbled. He was the replacement for the heroically deceased Eric Corwin and he still didn't truly fit into the team.

"Enough chatter, they're coming back for another pass." Corporal Stevens barked. He was a kind man who had well earned his nickname "Teddy", but in training or in battle, no one dared disobey his orders. "Private Gouren, ready the grenade launcher."

"The Corwin Maneuver, sir?"

"Yes Private."

"Yes sir!" Private Gouren readied his grenade launcher. The energy grenades it contained were incredibly destructive ordinance, capable blasting through a six-inch thick solid steel door. Some of the creatures they'd fought simply laughed at the explosions. These dragons were a case in point. Heavily armored and constantly moving, they were a major threat. Corporal Stevens's team was just a small part of the regiment sent to wipe them out. So far, they hadn't had much luck.

The dragon swept down, its mouth opening to unleash another holocaust of fire upon the soldiers. Private Gouren lifted the launcher to his shoulder and took careful aim, them squeezed the trigger. The grenade took flight with a muffled thump, arcing through the air.

It landed in the open mouth of the beast where it promptly exploded.

The decapitated creature fell from the sky, dead. The trio of smaller dragons that had been accompanying it immediately fled, the death of their leader taking the fight out of them. Rifle and machine gun fire brought down two of them before they could get out of range, but the third escaped into the mountains.

All around them the battle seemed to be winding down, bodies of both dragon and soldier lying on the ground in the early spring sun.

"Good work today men." Stevens said as they began to move out of their cover. "Good work."

* * *

Lieutenant Colonel Edward McNell sat in the command post for 208th Regiment. He had received his promotion on a temporary basis so that he could fill the role left by the dishonorably discharged Richard Warren had left behind, at least until a suitable replacement was found. Or his promotion was made permanent. Given his record over the last month of the war, most expected him to retain command of the third battalion.

His fellow battalion commanders sat in the tent with him.

Colonel Evan Seward, commander of the first battalion sat to McNell's left. On his right sat Colonel Weston "West" Randall, commander of the second battalion. Across the table from him sat Lieutenant Colonel Clarence White, the only woman among them and the commander of the fourth battalion. A map was spread across the table between them.

The tent flapped open as Brigadier General William Quentin stepped through. He immediately focused on McNell.

"Lieutenant Colonel."

"Brigadier General."

"Your men fought well today. You should be proud."

"I am, but I'll be certain to convey your approval to them myself."

"Good. They earned it." Quentin turned back to the room at hand. "Unfortunately, today was the easy part. Tomorrow, we enter the warren, clear out the beasts, and end their threat to this area. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Now, I'm open to any ideas on how to do this. We've already lost thirty-five good men and women, and I don't want to lose any more if we can help it. Lady and gentlemen, the floor is open."

* * *

Various ideas were bounced back and forth, but in the end, the nature of their enemy dictated their tactics. The dragons might make their home in the tunnels in the mountain, but they were at their weakest when they were trapped, kept from the open sky by tons of solid rock. Inside the mountain, they could not maneuver, and therefore they were vulnerable. Unfortunately, their armor and their ability to bore through solid rock made caving the entrances in pointless. Numerous other strategies were discussed, but the dragons' armor made any sort of bombardment irrelevant. In the end, the men would have to enter the tunnels and clear the beasts room by room.

"Maybe the fairies can help?" Colonel Seward suggested.

"Maybe, but I'd rather not." Brigadier General Quentin didn't object to fighting alongside fairies. He did object to putting sixteen year old girls into a war no matter how powerful they might be. If he had his way the fairy group attached to his regiment would have been made up of women old enough to join the army themselves, should they so choose. Unfortunately Earth's long period with no magic meant that most of the Earth fairies were either beholden to Tir Nan Og, or still quite young. He had to make do with what he had, whatever his conscience might tell him.

But even he could not object to the fairy who'd been chosen to lead his detachment of fairies. Rachel Corwin, recent Enchantix fairy and the younger sister of the first human to give his life for the war lead the group of forty fairies. As the Fairy of Lava, she was a powerful asset, and the fairies she lead were no less exceptional.

"Sir, I think they may be able to help." Lieutenant Colonel White said. "If nothing else, they may be able to provide us some protection from the dragons' fire."

"Very well, see to it."

Lieutenant Colonel McNell was restless in his seat. The plan called for one battalion to go in the main entrance while two more entered from the side entrances they'd discovered. The last battalion would remain on the surface in case the beasts had another escape route. The third battalion was slated to take that position. As usual.

For all the honor that clung to the name of Eric Corwin, precious little of any honor was bestowed upon his former battalion. They weren't quite considered cowards, but it was a close thing. Rather than uphold the treaty with the realm of Magix, they'd instead sat by and done nothing as the capitol city was attacked. Most of the shame clung to their former commander, but some had splashed onto his battalion. Which meant they were often given the jobs the other commanders felt they could trust them with. Namely, clean up.

Edward McNell knew his men. He knew they deserved better than this. He knew they wanted a chance to prove themselves. A chance to wash away their disgrace.

"Sir?"

"What is it, Lieutenant Colonel?"

"My men would like to be part of the assault."

"They will be."

"No sir, I mean they wish to be among the forces going into the warren."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes sir. Permission to lead my battalion into the warren sir?"

"...Very well. Battalion two will take surface duty. Your battalion will enter through the east tunnels. Is this satisfactory?"

"Yes sir. Thank you sir."

"If that is everything, this meeting is adjourned." The Brigadier General rose. "Dismissed." He strode out of the tent.

Colonel Seward and Lieutenant Colonel followed him, leaving McNell alone with Colonel Weston Randall, commander of the second battalion. The two men stared at each other for a moment. Then Colonel Randell broke into a grin.

"Give 'em hell for us, will you?"

"Yes sir!" McNell said with enthusiasm.

"Good. By the way, you owe me a beer for this."

"Funny, somehow I always seem to owe you a beer."

"Rank hath it's privilege. Now get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow."

* * *

"Did you hear?" Private Korson asked. "We're going in this time! No more waiting for something to happen, we're going in with the assault!"

"Oh great, let me revise my will." Private Newall said gloomily.

"Oh stop being such a wimp Roger." Private Wells said. "This is going to be fun!"

"I wouldn't call it fun, but it's better than just waiting for something that never seems to happen." Private Gouren said. "What about you Corporal?" He turned to Corporal Stevens.

"It's all the same to me. We have a job to do, we do it. Simple as that. Now does anyone want the last of the soup?"

"I would like some if it's not too much of a bother." A young girl's voice broke through their conversation. The five men turned to face the speaker.

"Oh please, stay where you are." Rachel Corwin said. "I'm just here for a social visit."

"Uh huh." Newall said nervously. Technically, this young girl held the same authority as a junior captain, and Newall was notorious for his distrust of authority. Particularly authority younger than him.

"Ms. Corwin, it's an honor to meet you." Corporal Stevens said, sticking out his massive hand. Her much smaller hand met his overgrown paw and the two shook.

"No, the honor is mine. Eric-" She glanced at the ground, unshed tears glittering in her eyes. She sniffed and wiped them away. "Eric always said you were a good man."

"I'm happy to hear it. Your brother was a good man too. A better man than me."

"Maybe. Although you're definitely more of a man."

Theo Stevens chuckled sadly. "Yes, I suppose I am at that. Hard to believe so much courage could come in such a small package as your brother."

"I know. He always looked out for me. When I discovered my powers back in fifth grade, he helped me come to terms with it. He even stood up to some kids who picked on me because of my powers."

"Let me guess, they called you Tinkerbell." Newall said sarcastically.

"Just ignore him." Gouren said. "The rest of us do."

"Oh, but I have a present for him." Rachel smiled maliciously. Using her powers she turned him a rather garish shade of orange.

"Hey!"

"If you don't like it, all you have to do is ask."

"No."

"Then you'll be orange for the rest of your life."

"...Turn me back to normal."

"Turn me back to normal...?"

"...Please."

"Alright then." She waved her hand and he went back to his normal fair coloration. Newall immediately went back to scowling at the girl who, for her part, seemed completely unaware of his vicious glare.

"Think you could teach me that trick?" Korson asked.

"Unless you're secretly a wizard, no."

"I did turn everyone's socks blue that one time."

"That's because you never did figure out how to use those magic washing machines." Stevens said. "Stupidity is not a magical power."

"Oh, Corporal, that was cruel!" Korson said dramatically. "I am shocked, nay, wounded, by your judgement of me!"

"I see Eric wasn't exaggerating when he said you had a flair for drama." Rachel said.

"So, miss, was there some reason for you to visit us, or were you just looking for a meet-and-greet?" Gouren asked.

"Yes, in fact, there was." Rachel sat down. "As you know, tomorrow we enter the dragon warren. My fairies and I will be joining the attack."

"And this impacts us... how?" Newall asked, still irritated over her turning him orange.

"Standard procedure for us means attaching individual fairies to teams. Each fairy is attached to a team of four men and their corporal. Given that you were my brother's old team, I think it would be fitting if I were to join you for this battle."

"We'd be honored to have you miss." Stevens said.

"I'm glad." She glanced up at the setting sun. "I have a lot to tell you if we're going to work together properly tomorrow, so let's get started."

* * *

The following day dawned bright and clear. Soldiers stormed into the tunnels dug by the mighty beasts. From above, explosions and shouts could be heard, along with the bellowing of the dragons and the roar of flames. Radios crackled with static and shouted commands, punctuated by the sounds of gunfire and magic. A few dragons escaped through various bolt holes, but were shot down by the men waiting at the surface. By the time the sun reached its peak, the battle was over.

Men, women, and fairies began to exit the tunnels. When everyone was clear, the tunnels were detonated by remote control, caving them in so that they couldn't be used by anything else. A great victory. Nearly seven hundred dragons killed for the loss of only one hundred and twenty-eight men.

The men and women of Earth had proven themselves once again, in their biggest battle to date. Earth was a force to be reckoned with, not some helpless, magic deprived target. Earth was strong, guarded by its armies, and represented by its heroes. Heroes like Eric Corwin, who died to save his sister, and Rachel Corwin, who would continue the struggle, fighting for both of them. Heroes like Edward McNell, who, though injured in the conflict, fought at the front of the battle until he was certain it had been won. Heroes like Theo Stevens, who led his men with compassion, strength, and courage. And even heroes like Roger Newall, who, for all his complaining, was one of the most effective soldiers in the 208th infantry. Men and women who would carry the banner of Earth across the Magic Dimension for the first time in centuries.

Earth had returned to the Magic Dimension, in all of her glory.

**A/N: Just like the last story about human soldiers, this one also has a song associated with it. _Who We Are_ by RED. Not even remotely in the same genre as _Hero_ is though...**

**Anyways, this ends the story of the 208th's role in the war. Probably. Unless inspiration for another story about them strikes. We'll have to see.**


End file.
